Sudden News
by moeruhoshi
Summary: Lucy finds out she's pregnant and has to deliver the sudden news.


**Hi hello yes I'm alive**

**I'm in summer school and it's almost over so forgive me for not doing anything bc I wanted to be a good student so sorry not sorry**

**I wrote this for a school assignment and I struggled to write without my FT babies so I plan to change their names before I turn it in lmaooo**

**But I hope you enjoy this, I'm not super in love with it just cuz I stayed up and forced myself to write**

* * *

Lucy took deep and uneven breaths as she sat by herself in the bathroom, staring down at the third positive test she'd taken; she didn't want to believe it. Her mind reeled uncomfortably, and her stomach turned with nausea she had oddly been feeling the past couple of weeks.

"Cana…" She spoke shakily into her phone, "I need you to come over...right now,"

"What's going on, Lu?" Cana groaned as she pulled herself through her window, stumbling onto the bed and next to the blonde who sat curled in her comforter. "It has to be serious if ya didn't let me in through the front, you're just lucky I've had experience scaling walls," The brunette went on as she sat herself up, her chatter faltering at the sight of Lucy's tears. "Hey, really …what's going on?"

"I'm pregnant, Cana," She pushed out, throat groaning with hoarseness as she shoved the evidence toward her.

"Oh geez…" She said slowly as she stared at the sticks, eyes filled with worry as they turned to her friend. "How late are you?"

"Eight weeks. I just thought my cycle was irregular, it's happened before so I wasn't worried," Lucy sighed and sniffled before going on. "But I've been getting sick more often, so I figured I should be safe and check…and now...what the hell am I going to do? My dad will throw me out as soon as he finds out, and we're still in school! And what am I supposed to tell Natsu? I can't give him news like this, he'll be so upset with me..."

"Hey, hey, slow down! One worry at a time, okay? If anything, you know my dad wouldn't let you end up on the street, so you'd come live with us. Not that I doubt Natsu wouldn't take you home with him. You should know better, he'd be thrilled! And would do anything to take care of you two," Cana began as she laid Lucy in her lap, threading her fingers calmly through her hair. "We're two months away from graduating, you'll barely be showing by then. You can always take your first year off and take care of your kid, get a scholarship with all your smarts, and make a living like you always planned to. Adapting to the situation is the best thing you can do for yourself, so stop freakin' out. All of us'll be there for you two, too; babysitting, hospital bills, groceries and diapers, the works. You're stupid if you think you're in this alone, don't you think?"

"Entirely," Lucy mumbled from her place pressed against Cana's stomach. "You always know how to calm me down,"

"Well no shit, I know how amazing I am," She scoffed and laughed as she folded over and hugged the blonde. "…so when are we telling everyone else?"

"Not sure, but I have to tell Natsu first, or well, second,"

"Hehe, yeah, I always knew you liked me more than that pyro. I get the honor of namin' the lil' squirt too, don't I?"

"I'm sorry, but you're the stupid one if you think I'd let you do that,"

Lucy felt her stomach knotting into twists as she took the following weekend to go visit her boyfriend, his home two trains away from her neighborhood. It was a thirty-minute ride that whisked by in what felt like thirty seconds, which did not help her calm down in the slightest.

There was time to think about how to approach the subject with Natsu, and Lucy planned to stop by his favorite bakery, getting some snacks that would act as a buffer for when he probably took the news as an unsettling shock.

Natsu loved her more than chili peppers, which was really saying something when it came to him and his spices. But his love for her was a fact that she knew well enough. She could practically see just how happy Cana was sure he would be, the image of her boyfriend jumping up and down and swinging her around playing through in its faux fantasy-style... She'd make sure to set down the things she bought in advance if such an occasion really occurred.

Even with all the worry concerning herself, Lucy could only think about Natsu's situation. He worked late hours to provide for himself ever since the fateful day that suddenly ended the lives of his parents. Luckily enough, he was left with their family home. Otherwise, he'd surely be staying on Gray's couch right about now.

He had school to pay for in the future and work always kept him so busy, she didn't want to overload him with even more to worry about once she revealed the subject of her pregnancy.

Feeling the vibration of her phone in her pocket as she walked into his building, Lucy looked down at her screen to see a text pinging from Cana.

'Quit stressing out and calm down already.'

'You're not stalking me, are you? How'd you know?'

'I know everything, remember. It'll be okay, I promise, so just go for it!'

Yeah, everything was going to be okay…hopefully.

She continued to take deep breaths in attempts to steady her pulse as she rode the elevator higher and higher, feeling her legs near ready to give out as the door slid open to the floor of his condo. His door was soon staring down at her, the shadow of it overcasting her meek form and further intimidating her into panicked silence.

"Luce! Took ya long enough, I've been waiting all morning for you!" Natsu pulled open the door as her knuckle barely grazed the wooden surface, greeting her flinch with his wide grin. He wrapped his arms tightly around the girl before she could get even a single word out, practically dragging her indoors.

"I stopped by Clover Town to get us some cake," She choked through his strong hold, heaving as he let her go, looking down at the bag in her hand.

"Nice! Nothin' better than their chili chocolate cake, I'll go make us some tea to go with it," He said with a dramatic lick of his lips, taking the bag and walking deeper into his home as she was left at the door to slip off her shoes. Lucy made sure to greet the photos of his parents set on a bureau in the hall, waving to them as she passed by.

"You don't have work later today, do you?" Lucy asked as she took a seat on his couch, relieved as he shook his head from the kitchen adjacent of where she sat.

"Nope, not until tomorrow night. Wanna stay over?" She stifled a laugh as he wiggled a knowing brow at her, setting down the tea and plated cakes as he took a seat beside her.

"Sure, if you don't mind," Lucy giggled as he nuzzled his head into the crook of her neck, pecking light kisses against her cheek as he guffawed.

"'Course I don't mind! There's nothin' better I could ask for," She sighed as he wrapped his arms around her midsection, suddenly feeling an onslaught of emotion that tore at her at the most random of times. "One of the old ladies next door gave me a bunch of vegetables so we can make somethin' nice for dinner tonight."

"…Natsu, we need to talk," Lucy said as she sniffled and wiped away tears. The pink-haired boy was immediately not at all delighted to be hearing that phrase, feeling his stomach quickly begin to sink.

"It's not your dad, is it? I know he doesn't like me all that much, but that's no reason to—"

"Dumbass, I'm not breaking up with you," She groaned and slapped his arm before he could continue to spiral. "I didn't mean anything other than what I said, really, I just need to talk to you,"

"Geez, what is it, Luce? Don't scare me with your cryin' like that," He pouted and wiped away the stray tears on her cheeks, settling a hand over hers for reassurance.

"I…I'm…Natsu, I'm…"

"Hey hey, calm down," Natsu shifted himself to take her in his arms again as her chest stuttered with panic, able to feel her body shaking through his. "You're okay, it's okay, Luce..."

His heart dropped as he felt her begin to cry again, equally as overwhelmed by whatever the hell was going on to make her so upset.

"You don't have to say it if it scares ya too much, I'm not gonna force you to say anything, just please tell me that you're not sick,"

"I'm fine," She hiccuped, tightening her arms around his waist. "I'm sorry...I didn't think it'd be so hard to say. I feel like if I do, it'll change everything and I don't know if I'm ready for that yet,"

"Change is bound to happen, ya know that. It did when we started dating, when your mom and my parents…when I had to start working, things just happen, and we have to learn to live with the changes left behind, yeah? It might be hard at first or sometime in the future, but we'll get through it together, we always do,"

"Yeah…yeah, you're right," Her teary eyes stared up into the ones showering her with love and reassurance, his lips tasting the saltiness of her tears as he pressed another kiss to her cheek. "I love you, Natsu."

"I love ya too, Luce."

"I'm pregnant," She breathed out in quick words, pulling herself away from him to walk and grab a tissue from the kitchen. Natsu was virtually stone, as she entirely expected him to be, eyes wide and unmoving as he processed the news.

"... I'm about eight weeks late," She began to explain the situation in further details, sitting next to him again as she reached over and carefully sipped her steaming cup of tea before setting it down. "I don't have a bump yet, but I took a few tests and—"

"I love you so fucking much! Oh my god, so much! I'll love you and our baby till the day I die, I promise!" Lucy squealed as Natsu glomped her with another monstrous hug, showering her cheeks with kiss upon kiss, refusing to let her go for even a moment.

"You're crying, you know," Lucy laughed as she could hear his quiet sobs through the onslaught of kisses.

"I'm so happy," He mumbled against her cheek, voice watery as he spoke. "So happy, I mean it... I'm so happy."

"I'm glad," She smiled, thumbs wiping away his tears. "We're about to start a family, how weird does that sound?"

"Not weird at all, you've been my family since the day I met you," He confessed, kissing the center of her palm as his free hand wandered to lie against her belly.

"We're gonna have a kid and you're gonna be my wife, that's pretty hot don't you think?" Lucy rolled her eyes and slapped his chest, Natsu snickering as he leaned against her collarbone. "Lucy Dragneel,"

"You mean Natsu Heartfilia," She scoffed, wrapping her arms around his head softly. "I hope we have a girl."

"A boy! A little Igneel, but Layla is a cute name," He smiled at the thought of naming their kids after his father and her mother.

"I was thinking Nancy, or maybe Ryuu?"

"Ryuu! Definitely Ryuu. Ryuu works both ways, yeah? Dad would've liked that one,"

"Yeah, he would have," She sighed with a delicate curve of her lips.

"Think we can invite the gang over for dinner tonight too? I don't want to put off telling them," Lucy asked, threading her fingers carefully through his hair.

"That sounds like a good idea."

"... Aren't you worried?" Lucy asked, abruptly midst their calm embrace in an attempt to relieve her mind of the worry that still swarmed in murky purple waves.

"About what?" Natsu asked, his voice muttering as he spoke into the crook of her neck.

"School, money, what my dad will say," She said, the pink-haired boy sighing as he lifted himself up.

"Oh yeah," He frowned, tossing himself to her side, both of them staring up at the ceiling, sitting shoulder to shoulder. "Well, if he asks, or maybe before you tell him. Do you...want to get an abortion?"

"I couldn't do that," Lucy's lips turned sour as she moved to hold her stomach. "I know that's still an option for us and would be an easy resolution, but this isn't a problem for me... it's our child, and I want our child, Natsu,"

"Me too," He grinned, placing his hand over hers. He leaned against the couch, and he turned to face the blonde once again.

"I'm sure he won't be happy and Cana said she'd take me in if he throws me—"

"What?! You told Cana about this before you told me?!" He gasped and she rolled her eyes with an exhausted simper.

"Of course I did, who do you think told me to tell you? I was honestly scared that you'd be mad about this,"

"Mad? No way! We're always safe when we...but you never know. If anything, I'd be mad at myself for knockin' you up," She giggled at his phrasing as he pouted. "You can tell me anything and I'd never be mad at you,"

"Even if I kissed—"

"Say Gray and I won't let you name our baby,"

"Okay, okay, sorry," Lucy chuckled as she positioned to face Natsu who steamed over the thought of his best friend even trying to get near her.

"But you could come live with me if anything like that happens," Natsu shrugged. "I should start takin' care of you as soon as I can,"

"I thought about that, but you still work a lot. Between cramming for finals and future college classes, you'll barely get any sleep. I won't tell my dad until after we graduate, but I'll still need a lot of looking after. I don't want to stress you out with my health."

"Do I really need to go to school, then? If you need taking care of then I––"

"Don't even think about it," Lucy glared as she flicked the tip of Natsu's nose. "Your parents left you money for school, you're going. How else do you think you're going to take care of us when we're older?"

"I guess so…" He grumbled and rubbed his nose. "But what about you?"

"I don't think I should start school until the baby is at least one, or maybe two...I'm not sure since I know we won't have someone around to keep an eye on them. Maybe I'll do online classes?"

"I don't mind ya bein' a housewife, it'd be pretty awesome comin' home to you makin' dinner," Natsu said with a satisfied nod, thinking of the enticing thought of the smell of her cooking filling the house with its warmth.

"I think you should start school whenever you're ready, until then I know I can take care of us, I've been saving a lot and I can work and go to school, no problem."

"But it's college, I want you to have fun with everyone. It'd be a waste for you to worry about me when you could enjoy the time to go party and all that other college stuff,"

"Weirdo, don't even joke about that kinda stuff. You're my priority, I don't care if I ever sleep again, I'm gonna do good by you and make sure you get everything you need." Lucy found herself biting her bottom lip at the sight of Natsu's earnest gaze, she always loved that look in his eyes. Being able to speak freely about her worries with him put her mind at ease as well, Natsu really knew just what to say in any situation. Even if it was only a rough sketch of their future, Lucy was sure they'd do just fine. "There's nothing more fun than us being together."

"You're what?!" Erza gasped as she and their friends sat around Natsu's table. It was later in the day and about two hours since their all over the place conversation. Their friends had soon been called up for an invitation to join them for dinner, no one bothering to reject such an invitation when it came to Lucy's culinary skills.

"Two months along," Lucy grinned while Natsu laughed at everyone's shocked faces. "I'm not showing yet but if you want to see the tes—"

"Lu-chan! Oh my goodness, Lu-chan, I'm so happy for you," Levy said as she began to tear up, Juvia beside her and already in tears.

"J-Juvia has never been so happy for Lucy-san…" She blubbered, although Lucy was sure her happiness for them came from the confirmation there was really no chance she felt anything for Gray. (Even though such a thing was obviously untrue, Juvia was just jealous of any other girl that happened to be close with the raven-haired boy.)

"I knew before the rest of y' all! I'm on a whole 'nother tier!" Cana cackled at the sight of their blanched expressions, slapping her knee as she became hysterical with laughter.

"Happy? How are you guys not...scared?" Gray gulped, his skin suddenly clammy and pale as his spine shivered, unable to find the emotion that elated the two girls. "And how are you two not freaking out?"

"Luce and I talked it out, we're alright," Natsu said with a smile as he stared at the blonde currently squished between Levy and Juvia.

"Salamander as a dad…I can't see something like that," Gajeel shivered at the thought of his cousin holding a little bundle of joy. "His dumbass would drop it, I hope you know,"

"Oi! I would not!"

"Yeah, man," Gray scoffed, the energy of a small scuffle subsiding the anxiety he felt toward the shocking news. "I'm pretty sure you would, you've got serious butterfingers."

"I wouldn't drop my own kid so shut it you freaks," His throat rumbled with a growl as the two snickered and knocked fists together at the expense of pissing off their friend.

"Saying things like that will just bring bad luck, so quit it." Lucy sighed as Natsu was ready to climb over the table and rip into the two teasing him.

"What...I mean what, what are you going to do? This is a big responsibility," Erza asked, feeling genuine concern for the two who she thought were entirely underthinking what they supposed they were ready to take on.

"I'm going to tell my dad about it when we graduate, and we'll take it from there for the most part," Lucy began, her friends listening carefully to the rough sketch of their prepared plans. "Natsu is going to go to school and work while I stay home to raise our baby,"

"Are you sure, Lu-chan? What about your plans to be a writer, and you already got into Magnolia U with the rest of us, can't you still come?"

"I would if I could afford it, but I'm sure my dad's going to cut me off as soon as I tell him," THe group sighed with a bitter understanding, knowing the two were on pretty bad terms at the moment. "And I don't mind having to put off my plans while we get things figured out,"

"I just, I don't see how you can," Erza frowned. "It feels like you two are going to be giving a lot up. I don't want you to regret something like this if you're not sure what you're getting into."

"I know we don't know a lot," Natsu began as he spoke up, looking to Lucy as he broke out a soft smile. "And I know it's risky and we'll have to grow up real quick if we're gonna be doing this, but I want a family with Lucy. She's giving me a family again, y' know? And I can't say no to something I've been missin' like crazy."

"Hey, if you start crying, I just might and you know I never do," Cana felt her bottom lip quivering as Natsu shed a couple of calm tears, the table of friends shyly crying together at the conclusion of his short speech.

"I'm sorry if I came off a bit harsh just now," Erza mumbled as she dabbed her eyes with a napkin. "I'm worried about you two is all, but I'll respect your decision, one hundred percent. We all will."

"I know," Lucy smiled as she held the hand of the fiery redhead. "Thank you."

"Welp, that decides it for the rest of us, doesn't it?" Gray grinned as he leaned back in his seat. "We'll be this kids family too, you guys can count on us if you need anything. I hear college parties are overrated anyway."

"Can we eat already? I'm done with the sob fest, the center of attention should be that lasagna now," Gajeel interjected, getting up from his seat to begin bringing in the plates and food still sitting idle on the kitchen counters.

The two months before the small group's graduation steadily came upon them, signifying the day that was marked in Lucy's calendar with red marker, the day she resolved to speak with her father.

Everyone was worried and already planning for the results that were sure to reveal themselves as Lucy being tossed out of her family home. I mean, what other way was there for a father to react. Especially when it was her father.

Jude Heartfilia. A formerly warm-hearted man now colder than ice, having been this way ever since his wife died.

Layla Heartfilia. She was the light of his life and Lucy's, a woman whose kindness radiated in replication to the sun itself. He had been sure that even her smile was able to bring wilted flowers back to life.

It was a tragic and unfortunate early end to her life when one day she became too ill and never got better. Since then, he behaved as though she had never existed. Going as far as practically refusing to mention her name or even look at another picture of her. Nor did he spare Lucy more than a passing glance, on account of how much she resembled her mother. The spitting image of the older blonde, which only resulted to pain his heart even more.

His coldness created a boundary between him and his daughter, their relationship soon reduced to nothing but passing conversations and usual strict parent notions that insisted she stay at the top of her class and aim for perfection in every setting. The pain of his loss resulted in the pain of her life, and the rift between them had grown too wide to ever find a way to come back together; at least in Lucy's mind.

Here she was, sitting in his den on an entirely too uncomfortable leather couch. Natsu was beside her for moral support, planning to take a majority of the blame for the argument was sure to implode between them.

Lucy had barely opened her mouth before the phone rang at his large desk, settled in the opposite corner of the room. Her father got up from his seat, postponing their discussion a moment further as they now waited for the call to end.

"Geez, I think I might puke," Lucy groaned in a quiet whisper, Natsu immediate to turn his attention to the mention of any sickness.

"Really? You mean it? I'll take you to the bathroom right now if you're feeling morning si––"

"Oh my goodness, it's because I'm nervous," She spat at his overconcern for her health. "You do this every time I barely mention feeling sick,"

"Hey, I'm allowed to be worried about you," He shrugged, pouting as she rolled her eyes, but reluctantly gave up the topic before her annoyance with him built up and shot her into a mood. "I'm nervous too. Promise you'll stop him if he tries to murder me?"

"Maybe," She shrugged similarly, hiding a smile as Natsu gasped dramatically, holding a hand over his heart at the shock of her words.

"I can't believe you––"

"So? What is so important that you had to schedule a meeting with me?" Natsu snorted as he was interrupted a second time, finding it funny how Lucy had to schedule a legitimate meeting with her father for them to have this discussion. Sure, he was busy with running his business, but c' mon. Either way, he quickly zipped his lips as Jude gave him a sideways glance as he returned to his seat across from them.

"Well, dad…" Lucy started, subtly gripping Natsu's hand as she took a deep breath. "I wanted to tell you that Natsu and I...well we're..."

"Spit it out, hmm? I don't have all day, the office just called and I have a meeting with some clients so if you could––"

"We're having a baby," Natsu said as he could see Lucy struggle to speak up against the natural glare her father cast upon them. "And we're keeping it."

"...What…?" Jude's voice was a mixture of confusion and anger that escalated in vibrato and temperament, practically able to shake the books off the shelves behind them as he grew louder. "What is the meaning of this?! Pregnant?! When, what, why?! And you're keeping it?!"

"Yes, we're keeping it," Lucy glared as her own voice began to rise against her father's. "And nothing you can say is going to change that. We're going to have a family, dad."

"Do you even know what you're talking about?! A family?" Jude groaned in aggravation, his body twitching, unsure if it should stand or stay seated, his fingernails pinching into the fabric of his armchair. "You're a child, you're both children, what––I cannot believe…!"

"I know we are, sir," Natsu cleared his throat as he took Lucy's hand in his. "But we're ready to do what it takes to start a family either way."

"How could you be so stupid, Lucy? I'm honestly...so disappointed," Jude frowned, his face falling into his hand as he hid his eyes and shook his head. "With this boy, of all people…"

"I wasn't looking for your acceptance," Lucy bit back her anger and frustrated tears as she spoke. "Of Natsu or our child. Things happen...we were safe and did everything right, but things happen, dad! I'm sooo sorry I couldn't be perfect for you. Anyways...that was all I wanted to say. We'll get going now,"

"This conversation isn––"

"I don't need to hear anything else, I already know you're going to throw me out. I'll be staying with Cana, you don't need to––"

"My goodness, Lucy!" Jude's voice boomed as he stood up from his chair, stopping the two who were about to leave the room. "You give a man two minutes to process something like this...I swear you can be so stubborn sometimes,"

"U-Um, w-well, I-I..."

"Could you leave us to talk, Natsu?" Her father asked, the pink haired boy uneasy and slightly unwilling to do so, but agreed to comply.

"I'll wait downstairs,"

"I'm sorry," He began as Lucy retook her seat, the frustrated frown upon her lips faltering her eyebrows rose to his words. "I shouldn't have called you stupid,"

"I'm shocked," He began, Lucy bringing her legs to rest under her chin as she listened to her father go on. "I don't know how you could expect anyone to just take this kind of news as something anything other than immediately shocking,"

"Everyone else was pretty okay with it," She mumbled as he let out a light laugh.

"You guys are kids," He scoffed and shook his head, quickly finishing his sentence before she could interject again. "You may be having a kid and be willing to grow up for it, but you're a kid, Lucy. Everything always seems easy in theory."

"Mhm…" She sighed, twiddling her thumbs as she suddenly felt awkward with the calmness of the discussion, kind of confused as to why her father wasn't throwing a massive tantrum.

"I've been too harsh," Jude said, his voice becoming strained as he forced the words he'd been holding down for so long emerged. "When Layla...your mother...I should have been a better parent then. But she was the one who always knew what to do, and I didn't after she died…"

"Why bring up mom now?" Lucy's nose burned with a bitter blush as he went on.

"What happened afterward, with us…" His eyes drooped with a somber expression. "I know how terrible I've been, terrible enough to make you think that I would throw you out for getting pregnant."

"You're...not going to?"

"I said you were a child, didn't I? I can't let my child go out and act as though she were an adult any more than I've already let her do so. I neglected your time to be a child and now look at you. All ready to grow up and start a family without me. But I'll have none of that."

"This...this isn't fair at all," Lucy began to tear up as she gripped her fist tightly closed by her side. "You decide not to parent me until now? What is this?!"

"I can't fix the past," Jude let out a heavy breath as he stood up, walking around the coffee table that separated them to sit beside his daughter. "And nothing I can say now will ever fix what I've done, but...oh, how could I have not seen it before. My daughter, who looks just like her mother...Layla would kill me if I didn't take care of you now. Nor have I ever had any intention to leave you behind."

Lucy boiled with anger as she looked to her father, looking at the face of a man who she hadn't seen since she was ten. Lucy's sharp look of disdain fell when she saw the face she remembered and missed when she felt relief wash over her when he declared she wouldn't be forgotten from his life. Gosh, she really was just a kid.


End file.
